Bad weather delays work on A29 upgrade at Tobermore

Poor weather is delaying work on the £1m upgrade of the A29 Tobermore to Desertmartin road.

The road had been scheduled to reopen to traffic on March 15 but this has had to be put back until March 22.

A TransportNI spokesperson said: “Work on the construction of the carriageway realignment scheme at A29 Killytoney is progressing well but has been delayed by poor weather.

“To enable the completion of the scheme by the end of March unfortunately it will be necessary to extend the road closure by one week until Sunday, March 22.”

Businessman Derek McClenaghan said the extended closure could well result in the closure of his chip shop on the Desertmartin Road.

“I would say over 70 per cent of my business comes from passing traffic and this extended closure of the road only adds to the nightmare,” he said. “I’m in the dark as to what is going on. I don’t understand why it is taking so long to reopen the road.”

A number of other businesses along the Desertmartin Road also understood to have suffered a downturn owing to the works.

DUP Mid-Ulster MLA Ian McCrea has written to the Roads Minister Danny Kennedy to ascertain if traders’ who are adversely affected by the roadworks, are entitled to compensation for loss of revenue.